The Battle For The Mind

Feature 2 –September 2017 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Battle For The Mind

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up ... And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shall say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes ... And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always.” —Deuteronomy 6:6-7,20-22,24 KJV

This principle of family discussion is seen in Exodus 12 concerning the Passover celebration. We can imagine that these conversations within the family, particularly as a result of the Passover meal, were pleasant occasions filled with much joy, laughter and serious thought. Real people were talking with real people, and older ones were guiding the young and answering their questions. I wonder how much this pattern for the family is followed today in Christian households?

Such interaction is important since it is the way God has designed us, about which He has given us instructions to follow in His Word. That the New Testament follows the pattern is evident in the way the Lord spoke with His disciples and how Paul commends the family life of Timothy. Even though his father was Greek, it is clear that Timothy’s mother and grandmother were godly women who followed God’s Word in the conduct prescribed for the family (2 Tim. 1:5).

In the community the equivalent of today’s university professors paid attention to the needs and instruction of the young. Even the Lord Jesus was “hearing them, and asking them questions” (Lk. 2:46).

A Choice
Clearly God intends for us to talk together, especially in relation to Himself! However, we may thwart God’s intention since He has given us the power to choose. We must be careful, therefore, that we choose to do God’s will when we speak with our family, friends, assembly and neighbors. God will help when we choose to do what is right.

He has built into us a need for the company and fellowship of other human beings. It grows within the family setting while we are young. How often have small children annoyed us with an endless curiosity and continuous list of questions? Yet, we have to respond as best we can to enable them to grow. God has given us this pattern in the words of Moses and the example of the Lord Jesus.

Some Results
When the family enjoys conversation between young and old, with questions being answered and more questioning encouraged, children grow up mentally alert. If such interaction does not take place, children fail to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We are made to appreciate the face-to-face exchange of opinion, and God has designed the family setting to be a safe haven to nurture children and strangers.

The Creator has given us minds with the gift of curiosity – we actually want to learn. He has also provided the capacity of imagination, out of which grows empathy to understand the thoughts of others. We have the ability to sympathize – to feel for and suffer with others in their pain.

A Rival
In a terrible contrast, watch young people tapping away on their devices. They are alone in a shadow of what is real. Without true human interaction, the world of the electronic media is a place of fantasy. Crafted by men to make money, it is addictive and destructive.

Yes, there may be a sense in which we may empathize with a message from a friend or even with a character in an electronic game, but the feelings are not real like the sorrowful, spoken words or the tears of a dear friend, sibling or child. How sad is the attempt to interact and to relate to an image; it mocks the genuine warmth of human interaction.

We are not designed to be continuously alone. This is why solitary confinement is a dreadful punishment. If we ignore human contact and only watch an image on a screen, we take in sights and sounds but we do not engage our imagination, which is tied with our intellect, emotions and deepest feelings. We may find ourselves in a solitary place. Rather than uselessly watching something on a screen, reading a good book full of human experience – especially the Bible – can be a great benefit to us.

Even Worse
Many of the games today are full of violence. Our young are also seeing countless immoral images. We risk having children who grow into adults and see other people as objects to be used, abused and discarded. We do not want our young exposed to many things they see, but prevention is difficult in our perverted, depraved and ignorant world. The electronic media is here to stay, and it will be put to even more disgusting uses to control the thinking of the unthinking populace. The English novelist, George Orwell, presented a taste of this, but even he could not have imagined the power and the allure of today’s electronic imagery.

Neil Postman, a distinguished American sociologist, concluded in 1985 that society “amuses itself to death” with television, putting viewers into a mild trance and robbing them of their awareness and their intellectual faculties. It is likely that playing the electronic games will become almost a universal pastime just as television has unfortunately become a familiar friend in most homes. Do we Christians really wish to spend hours nearly every day before the flickering images presented by the world? I should hope not.

A Boss
The people who own media companies are ordinary humans. However, most of them, along with journalists, actors and media hosts, are in the pay of the Wicked One, under whom the whole world lies (1 Jn. 5:19). When Satan tested the Lord Jesus in the wilderness before the start of His public ministry, he offered Him “all the kingdoms of the world” (Mt. 4:8-10). The Lord did not deny his claim.

We must remember the warning from Paul: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:4). Further, we are warned about the means through which Satan is able to deceive even the elect: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (11:13-15).

Our Response
For the sake of the coming generations, Christian families ought to see that meals are eaten together at the table. Discussions should take place, with questions asked and answered based on Scripture. Particularly for the young and able, time now spent on television, Internet and electronic games should be replaced by plenty of healthy, outdoor exercise. No one of any age should be wasting their time with what is available in the electronic media today – especially Christians.

These tools of the world may be used with care by the ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Blogs and social media afford an opportunity to express the Christian point of view on topics and to present the gospel. Biblically sound messages are available for all through various television and Internet resources. May we honor our Lord and Savior in all we see and do – to His eternal glory. GT

By Roger Penney